omega 3-6-9 - dangerous?

[bloomfield]

hi all,

is anybody using or know anything about the safety of omega 3-6-9 during pregnancy? I have been taking an omega 3-6-9 supplement which contains borage oil and I learned yesterday that borage oil is not recommended during pregnancy. I wish I had known!

Apparently it is a uterine contractant that can stimulate labour. But I'm not sure what the dangers are if it is used early on in the pregnancy. Some internet sites say that it can cause birth defects but I can't find a single documented case of this. Anyone know anything?

 

[dannyboygirl]

I take dha and ara.My dr says thats great for baby brain n everything.Idk..Im still taking it and have a healthy girl..

 

[AP]

hi all,

is anybody using or know anything about the safety of omega 3-6-9 during pregnancy? I have been taking an omega 3-6-9 supplement which contains borage oil and I learned yesterday that borage oil is not recommended during pregnancy. I wish I had known!

Apparently it is a uterine contractant that can stimulate labour. But I'm not sure what the dangers are if it is used early on in the pregnancy. Some internet sites say that it can cause birth defects but I can't find a single documented case of this. Anyone know anything?

omega 3 is said to help prevent premature labour and is found in supplements such as Pregnacare and helps with brain and eye development

I think the omega 6 part is borage oil and should be avoided.

I wouldnt panic, if you are ok just now

 

[Lilly12]

Well they probably say that because in fish oil there could be mercury.
But DHA is really good for your baby's brain and eye development.

 

[mislaww]

Typically you'd get your DHA through anchovy oil or the like - they're too low down on the food chain to worry about mercury. Plus they're usually purified. I'd just switch to a supplement that doesn't containe borage oil, which should be easy enough to find, I hope! Omega 3 (DHA) is the one you really want, although some recent studies found no benefit from them for baby! Anyway, don't worry. I'm sure you're fine and so is baby.

 

[Phinners]

I googled the scholarly articles for Borage oil in pregnancy and have highlighted the important bit-

Preliminary Study/Report
Borage oil reduction of rheumatoid arthritis activity may be mediated by increased cAMP that suppresses tumor necrosis factor-alpha



Richard E. Kast,

Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05401, USA

Received 7 May 2001; revised 31 July 2001; accepted 21 August 2001. Available online 16 October 2001.

Abstract

Recent double blind studies have shown some benefit of borage oil in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha has been shown to be a central mediator of inflammatory and joint destructive processes in rheumatoid arthritis. In this paper, evidence from published research is reviewed that indicates gamma linolenic acid component of borage oil increases prostaglandin E levels that increase cAMP levels that in turn suppress tumor necrosis factor-alpha synthesis. If this biochemical path of borage oil is correct then (1) concomitant non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use would tend to undermine borage oil effects, and (2) borage oil would be contraindicated in pregnancy given the teratogenic and labor inducing effects of prostaglandin E agonists.

Theres a stack of proper research out there that isnt trying to sell herbal stuff and therefore isnt biased

But thats what you need to do really, research peer reviewed evidence where trials have taken place; anecdotal evidence and half the crap on google wont tell you the truth about a certain supplement. You dont need to read the entire article, just the abstract and conclusion, which are often very short due to publishing guildlines set by a journal.

The mear fact that journal says it's teratogenic would have me sling them straight in the bin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teratology


Same can be said for that Rasperry stuff everyone drinks and the EPO people take - there is a massive load of evidence to suggest it is not entirely safe to take and can cause all sorts of problems, and I have posted it throughout the board but the marketing is very strong and therefore people continue to buy it and ignore evidence..

 

[Phinners]

Well they probably say that because in fish oil there could be mercury.
But DHA is really good for your baby's brain and eye development.

Yeah there was a study done in Sweden (I think it was) on cord blood etc and mercury levels were found to be pretty high in the last trimester due to fish and fish oil intake. I think it was a recent article aswell, might have been this year, I cant remember

 

[bloomfield]

Thanks so much for your replies.

What Phinners posted worries me. I'm terrified about the damage I may have done. I can't focus on anything else right now.

What's frustrating is that there is so little information about this out there. Even my doctor (whom I saw this morning) didn't know what to tell me about the effect on my baby. But he did say that borage oil could cause liver damage in me, especially during pregnancy!

Several brands of omega 3-6-9 which contain borage oil do not even have a warning on the bottle. You would think this would be critical information!

I'm going to be very careful with natural products from now on.

 

[mislaww]

Bloomfield - please don't worry! I mean, do be careful about what you take (always!) but don't worry about the harm. There's nothing you can do at this point!

The larger, more immediate risk is inducing labour - but that hasn't happened, so you can ignore that. As for the teratogenic effects, this is not well studied and is quite speculative. If your ultrasounds have been clear, then the greatest risks are quite behind you and you should just relax!

 

[bloomfield]

thanks Mislaww! You're the voice of reason. I tend to panic, but you're right in saying there's nothing I can do but be more careful in the future.

 

[Julia1984]

Hi there, I am in the exact same position. I am 12 weeks pregnant and was taking Nordic Naturals Omega 3 6 9 which contains borage oil and I am terrified now that I've harmed my baby. I'm interested to know how things turned out for you? Praying that our babies are ok!

 

[Julia1984]

Julia1984
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Hi there, I am in the exact same position. I am 12 weeks pregnant and was taking Nordic Naturals Omega 3 6 9 which contains borage oil and I am terrified now that I've harmed my baby. I'm interested to know how things turned out for you? Praying that our babies are ok!

 

[SweetV]

The supplement that I was taking had flax seed oil which has a 4x more likely of stimulating preterm labour. Not sure about the borage oil.

 

[eulmh82]

I googled the scholarly articles for Borage oil in pregnancy and have highlighted the important bit-

Preliminary Study/Report
Borage oil reduction of rheumatoid arthritis activity may be mediated by increased cAMP that suppresses tumor necrosis factor-alpha



Richard E. Kast,

Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05401, USA

Received 7 May 2001; revised 31 July 2001; accepted 21 August 2001. Available online 16 October 2001.

Abstract

Recent double blind studies have shown some benefit of borage oil in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha has been shown to be a central mediator of inflammatory and joint destructive processes in rheumatoid arthritis. In this paper, evidence from published research is reviewed that indicates gamma linolenic acid component of borage oil increases prostaglandin E levels that increase cAMP levels that in turn suppress tumor necrosis factor-alpha synthesis. If this biochemical path of borage oil is correct then (1) concomitant non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use would tend to undermine borage oil effects, and (2) borage oil would be contraindicated in pregnancy given the teratogenic and labor inducing effects of prostaglandin E agonists.

Theres a stack of proper research out there that isnt trying to sell herbal stuff and therefore isnt biased

But thats what you need to do really, research peer reviewed evidence where trials have taken place; anecdotal evidence and half the crap on google wont tell you the truth about a certain supplement. You dont need to read the entire article, just the abstract and conclusion, which are often very short due to publishing guildlines set by a journal.

The mear fact that journal says it's teratogenic would have me sling them straight in the bin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teratology


Same can be said for that Rasperry stuff everyone drinks and the EPO people take - there is a massive load of evidence to suggest it is not entirely safe to take and can cause all sorts of problems, and I have posted it throughout the board but the marketing is very strong and therefore people continue to buy it and ignore evidence..

I was always a little unsure about raspberry leaf tea. Last time I didn't do anything to bring on labour I just figured he'd come when he did.

 

[mommy098]

hello - those of you that were taking the Omega 3,6,9 - was everything okay with your baby? I cannot believe there is not a warning on the product - i have been taking it for 16 weeks and prior to pregnancy as well. i have developed a liver issue and i really hope it's not from that.

 

[Julia1984]

hello - those of you that were taking the Omega 3,6,9 - was everything okay with your baby? I cannot believe there is not a warning on the product - i have been taking it for 16 weeks and prior to pregnancy as well. i have developed a liver issue and i really hope it's not from that.

Hi mommy098,

You have nothing to worry about, I really hope I can put your mind at ease here. I remember working myself up into such a state after discovering that I'd been taking an omega 3,6,9 supplement containing borage oil for the first trimester of my pregnancy. I did so much research online but couldn't find anything very helpful about the side effects of borage oil so I consulted a number of pharmacists and doctors who were able to allay my fears and said there was nothing to worry about. Drug companies are overly cautious about pregnancy labelling as so few studies are actually conducted on pregnant women so they can't make any guarantees about the safety of so many things. I now have a very bright and healthy 19 month old who is completely normal so I really hope this helps to put your mind at ease! I totally understand what you're going through but please don't worry about this as much as I did!